Love on the Line
by InkyPenguinScribbles
Summary: Angels are dispatched to Earth to monitor prominent cities for strong vessels and an unknown enemy. As the enemy grows ever stronger, Dean and Castiel unwillingly join forces to protect themselves and those they love, not just from the enemy they don't know but from those they do. AU. Destiel Sabriel


"Then maybe it's time to try something new." The wind was nice to day. Castiel could feel it spiralling over his face, swirling over his nose and running through his eyelashes. "Nerds United or something like that." It might be all the hot air Metatron was letting loose. "We are unpopular but at least, as a group, we are not alone." Castiel was actually waiting for the opportunity to be alone. He was practically counting the seconds.

"Castiel are you listening to me?" One last feel of the new spring grass beneath his fingers and Castiel opened his eyes to see corkscrew hair blocking the sun.

"You want us to band together as brothers against human children. It seems cowardly for someone who claims to be the hero." If Metatron had feathers they would have ruffled, but he carried on regardless. Castiel wondered if it would be seen as not paying attention if he slipped of his shoes. It was a great day to be outside, and yet Metatron had somehow found him and was trying to persuade him to actually do things, instead of just enjoying it.

And so Metatron would have continued until Gadreel turned up. "Is he trying to start a revolution again?"

Castiel didn't open his eyes but he assumed the question was directed at him. "Yes, and he's killing the mood."

"Metatron, you have to stop this," started Gadreel, but he was nowhere near the speechmaker that Metatron thought himself to be.

"No, our time is now-"

"Need I remind you that we are being watched." Gadreel sounded impatient, and Castiel sighed. This meant another fight. "We are here to observe, not to take a moral stance against human children."

"And why not?" fumed Metatron, "We are powerful creatures. Let's knock them about for once."

"We are powerful, but that's why we're disguised as humans. As _teenagers, _no less." Gadreel spat out the word teenagers like it was poison. "I don't necessarily agree with the placement but we are here to see whether this collection of human kind is worthy breeding stock."

Castiel sighed. "You could be kinder than to refer them as livestock. They are complex, interesting creature-"

"Who eat and drink and knock horns, if you'll pardon the expression, like any other creature." Metatron had found his in to the conversation. "It is the duty of us as angels, not only to find viable mating stock but to perhaps expunge those who fall short so as to-"

"Is he at this again?" Portia sauntered in. Castiel opened his eyes to see her laying down next to him. "Calm down, Metatron. They pushed you into the mud. Once. You are getting way too excited again."

"Ah the witch's bitch is back again."

"Put a sock in it, feathers. I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to enjoy the rays with Castiel. How are you?"

"Shouldn't you be with James?"

"If he needs me, he'll call. He's hanging out with Spencer again." Even though it was warm, Castiel saw his friend shiver slightly. He sometimes wondered if I was to her best interests to play down what he believed to be some valid concerns about James' best friend. Only two days he had literally had to pull Spencer off of Portia. If he hadn't, she would bitten him in public; her teeth were already sharp. But his concerns had been shrugged off by Portia seemed determined to fight her own battles. He may have pried further, but she was his one and only non-angelic friend and her presence was comforting.

"Perhaps we should leave you girls to your tans," Metatron snarled. Castiel couldn't be sure if he was looking for a reaction but he certainly received none. Metatron started grumbling under his breath, and turned his back. "C'mon Gadreel. We are clearly not wanted."

"Gadreel is welcome to stay," muttered Portia under her breath, but loud enough that everyone present heard her. Metatron stomped off and Gadreel, torn for a moment between a rock and a louder hard place if he stayed, before hastily apologising and following Metatron.

"If those two weren't angel hitched, do you think he would put up with Metatron?" Castiel shrugged. These things were best not questioned. Gadreel, as far as Castiel knew, had no doubts. That was good enough for him. "And what about you? Any news on your feathery fiancé?"

"Nothing."

"…You think they know about your fraternisation?"

Castiel sighed. "I do not fraternise. It is all for the cause."

"Uh-huh. So the big boys upstairs are fine with you being friends with a familiar."

"They would prefer that to a human. As you know, because we have had this conversation over and over since I asked them."

Portia huffed. "You know I'm still pissed you told them without telling me."

"I was allowed to be your friend. The others were merely concerned about you knowing I was an angel." Castiel arched his back in the sunlight and breathed deeply. The flowery smell of the peach tree above him momentarily distracted him from Portia's knowing brown eyes that were fixed squarely on his; this conversation always ended the same way, and he had to be ready.

"So I was talking to Dean again yesterday."

And so the end began.

"Good for you. Did he make more jokes about your sexual congress with James?"

"Yes, of course he did. And if you had been there, you would have laughed."

"I have no interest in what Dean has to say."

Portia blew at a piece of hair streaking against her face. "Well that's a lie. C'mon Castiel, you have a limited amount of time, and I can smell that boy's hormones. You have no idea how badly they spike around you."

"You are mistaken. As I've told you, many times. I am nothing to the Winchesters."

Portia laughed. "Even if that were true, how many people have you set him up with so far?"

Castiel gritted his teeth. A small piece of cloud blotted out the sun, ruining his mental escape route. Kismet. "Seven. And yes, so far none of them have been successful."

"And what did that cupid tell you again?"

"You know this already, why must I repeat it?"

"Because I was right." Portia rolled onto her belly, and stretched her legs into the sun's renewed glow. Castiel was in the shadows only for a moment longer. "And that boy is destined for someone special."

"He is certainly examining as much of the student population as he can for that 'special'."

Portia hit him with a glare that Castiel equated to the feeling of the radiation of an exposed grace. "Is that your issue? He's a manslut, I get it. But he-"

"What's up, nerds?" Gabriel appeared between the two friends cutting Portia off. "Nice day for a Sunday, isn't it?"

"Hey Gabriel," smiled Portia. "Where did you come from?"

"Egging some dude's house."

"This wouldn't happen to be Sam Winchester's house, would it?" Castiel closed his eyes and sighed. Ten minutes of silence would be so divine, if only he was not plagued by thoughtful and interesting companions. He ran his toes through the grass again as Gabriel regaled them with the story of how he may or may not have been throwing chocolate eggs at Sam's house.

"Because if you throw real eggs he wouldn't know it was you," chimed in Portia.

"Give the dog a bone," said Gabriel, slurping loudly on something that sounded like a fizzy drink. Probably brightly coloured and sugary.

"I fail to see why this is necessary," pointed out Castiel, "He is going to a movie with you on Friday. There is no further need to grab his attention."

"You've got to keep the romance alive somehow." Portia laughed at this, and Castiel smiled, enjoying his friend's happiness. James could be a trialling companion for her as he was a new witch and a newer lover, but she held herself well. Perhaps too well.

It was then, as he turned his head to the right, that Castiel noted the first shadow about four feet from his face. A tiny hole in the sunlight, only two inches in circumference, that stayed motionless as an animal caught in the light of an oncoming truck. But as he looked into the sky, he saw nothing to cast it. Perhaps if he was the normal boy that he pretended to be, he could wave it away. A trick of the light, of nature, of some unknown insect; it could be nothing. But Castiel was an angel, tasked with the monumental task of searching a city for appropriate future vessels for angels and keeping the humans there safe. From what he didn't know, but the great thing about uncertainty was that he was always ready for new danger. Nothing was something until proved to be nothing.

Castiel hit Gabriel's crossed legs and pointed to the dot. Gabriel stopped talking; a small miracle that showed that perhaps this was something to be considered after all.

"What is it?" Portia sounded worried.

"Not sure," said Gabriel, standing up and depolarizing the atoms of the red plastic cup he had been holding. "But it might be trouble. Might be."

"When you get back to James, might you ask him if there was some chatter in your scene? Anything new or unusual?" Castiel asked, also standing up and wiping the grass from his trench coat, taking his eyes from the abnormality. Portia nodded, wiping imaginary dirt from her grey skirt before leaving.

"Is it what we were sent here to stop?"

"No, Castiel. I have no idea what this is." Gabriel bit his lip. "Don't worry. The worst that could happen is that finding out that this thing is not threat takes too long and I have to cancel on Moose." He did a good job of making it sound like nothing.

But already it was beginning to spread. The small dot was surrounded by a colony of shadows which slowly grew into a larger writhing mass. Children played on in the park, parents watching intently for any danger or checking their phones for something to do, no one but Castiel and Gabriel seeing the growing impossible shadow.

Well, them and one other. Dean who had just arrived to meet with Portia, saw it as the shadow grew, gaining shape and size until at last, if focused itself into two solitary yet terrifying words. _Angels beware._

* * *

A/N As said in the cover, this will focus on Destiel and Sabriel, but I also adding some other pairings. Let me know if you liked it. As a warning, I am toying with the idea of some form of M-Preg type situation, depending on how the angel arc goes. Let me know what you think.


End file.
